Now John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.” But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is on our side. For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” (Mk. 9:38–41)

As Christian women, we need to have unity with each other. We do not need to agree on everything, nor do we need to pull each other from one church or denomination to another. Jesus’ name is enough for us to respect and agree with each other. The body of Christ is made up of people from all nations and all denominations. He seeks those who are obedient to His Word and who conform themselves to His likeness. There is much work to be done and many souls to be saved. This goal should be enough to unite us.

We can bear much fruit when we pray together: “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:19–20). If every woman is faithful in her walk and prays for the things God shows her and what I listed in the beginning of this chapter, the results will be astounding in each home, church, and city. If each woman follows the expectations of the Lord’s army (as outlined in this chapter), the outcome will be revolutionary. If we could see through God’s eyes, it would look like the entire planet is covered in little light bulbs that are connected together in a golden net.

When we put our prayers on the altar, God will gather what we have prepared for Him. It will be His doing. Where we can’t, He can do the rest. It will be like with David:

Therefore David inquired of the LORD, and He said, “You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. And it shall be, when you hear thesound of marching in the tops of mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the LORD will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” And David did so, as the LORD commanded him; and he drove back the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer. (2 Sam. 5:23–25)

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Why does God make an example of these insects here? Aren’t they creatures of destruction and a sure sign of God’s wrath and judgment? What does the Lord want us to learn from them? A locust is like a grasshopper. When it is alone, it is insignificant and causes no concern. However, when those insects gather into a group, they become extremely powerful. We can learn two things from locusts: unity and patience: Locusts gather in unity and wait for the wind. They act in the principle of unity: “Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Eccl. 4:12). Together, they are like a plague when the wind picks them up and drops them on a field to graze. They cannot fly long distances. They fly in the direction of the wind. Just like locusts, we need to gather in unity around the same cause. Each woman, in her own home, should pray and fill her cup on behalf of herself, her children, her husband, her relatives, and everyone else for whom God gives her a burden. She may also pray for repentance of her city, state, and country.

We already learned that we have little time left. The next event will be the Rapture. Most of us are not ready for an early or a postponed rapture. It is possible that most of us are going to face persecution. It is going to get worse here on Earth, for the birth pains are only increasing as the day draws closer. Our many loved ones, including our children and husbands, are not ready either. We are in a devastating condition, and only God can help us overcome what is ahead and prepare us for the Rapture. This is exactly where women come into play in the following verses:

The LORD raises His voice in the presence of His army. His camp is very large; Those who carry out His command are powerful. Indeed, the Day of the LORD is terrible and dreadful – who can endure it? (Joel 2:11, HCSB)

The Lord gives the command; The women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host: ‘Kings of armies flee, they flee, And she who remains at home will divide the spoil! When you lie down among the sheepfolds, You are like the wings of a dove covered with silver, And its pinions with glistening gold. When the Almighty scattered the kings there, It was snowing in Zalmon. (Ps 68:11–14, NASB)

Before the Lord sends His fire on our alters, a sacrifice must be present. “Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench” (1 Kings 18:38). God commands women to cry out to Him in fasting, prayer, and repentance:

“Now, therefore,” says the LORD, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him—A grain offering and a drink offering For the LORD your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room. (Joel 2:12–16)

Also, it is time to bring forth the petitions and prayers before the Lord for our loved ones and our children. Once the cups are full and the sacrifices of our prayers are on the altar, He will come and move. Jesus will do what we can’t. He will refresh us and save us and our loved ones. We can’t, but He can. We are weak, but He is strong. God is waiting for the sacrifice from our hands!

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“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: ‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.’ And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:2–4). God is aware of parents and children. Children need instruction on how to obey and respect their parents. Parents are a God-given authority over their children and must raise them and instruct them in many things. This will prepare them for life and mold them into useful members of society and children of God.

The law of parental authority can heal or curse the land. Malachi prophesied, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse” (Mal. 4:5–6). Later, John the Baptist came prior to the first visitation of the Lord and prepared the nation for Jesus.

Now the Earth is awaiting the second coming of Jesus or “the Day of the Lord.” We are also in need of the law of parental authority coming into the right standing, just as the Jewish nation needed during Jesus’ first coming. Obedience in this area heals and removes a curse from a family and then a nation.

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“Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it”” (Luke 9:23-24, NKJV).

As we celebrate Passover (Easter), let’s analyze the meaning of Crucifixion from a different angle. Just as Jesus came to earth to live, suffer, and die for us; as His disciples we may experience tribulations. It is written that: “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day” (Luke 9:22, NKJV). Do not be surprised if your trials will take place at a church. The church is where many can be tested the most. In fact, I had a dream where I was persecuted by my local church’s sisters. While going through trials and persecution do not be afraid. Just as it was the perfect will of the Father for Jesus, it’s the perfect will of Christ to take us through necessary trials to purify us and make us precious as high quality gold. Jesus was glorified after undergoing the cross! We see such examples in lives of King David and Joseph. After passing their trials they were rewarded with a high position. The greater the calling the more intense testing to overcome.

Please share for the glory of God! May God bless you abundantly!

Photo by Ja’Corie Maxwell on Unsplash.

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Feast of Unleavened Bread (Lev. 23:6–8): “And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst’” (Jn. 6:35). Jesus was free of sin and a living sacrifice, suitable before the Lord to be pierced for our transgressions.

Application: Jesus is the unleavened bread. As His disciples, we are to be free of sin and flee from it. When we fall into sin because of our fallen nature, we have the blood of Jesus to cleanse us, if we repent and confess our sins to Him (1 Jn. 1:8–10). We are to eat unleavened bread as His body at communion: “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:6b–8).

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Feast of Firstfruits (Lev. 23:10): “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20). In the Father’s eyes, Jesus is the first among His brothers and sisters (which is His Church, saved and adopted by His blood) to be resurrected into life. Those who believe in Him will be resurrected with Him (1 Cor. 15:51–52).

Application: We need to put Jesus and serving God first in our lives. All other preoccupations should come next; otherwise, they will take the place of God and become our idols.

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Passover (Lev. 23:5): “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn. 1:29) Jesus is the perfect Lamb of God, whose blood is holy and powerful enough to redeem us from the power of sin and satan.

Application: Jesus’ blood was spilled for the forgiveness of our sins, removing our curses, healing our bodies, and rebirthing our dead spirits (born-again experience). We are to drink wine at church communion, which symbolizes His blood, to remember His suffering and what He has done for us. We no longer need to bring animal sacrifices to wash away our sins. Instead, when we repent, His blood washes away our sins.

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So far, we have lived through Revelation 8, 9 and part of 12. The Lamb has broken the seventh seal. Six angels have blown their trumpets since then. The seventh angel is about to blow the seventh trumpet: “The seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying: ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever!’” (Rev. 11:15, HCSB) The seventh angel’s trumpet does not point to the Rapture. It is the final trumpet, at which time Jesus will put an end to humankind’s six years of rule and start His seventh year of rule, or the Messiah’s Millennial reign, which is represented by the Feast of Tabernacles, as in Leviticus 23:34. Here we see God’s mystery (Gen. 2:1,2) and His instruction to observe the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week: six days for people to work (time for human), and the seventh day is for rest and the Lord (time for God).

I recommend reading Joel 2, the entire book of Revelation, and Daniel 12 for further study and to clearly understand the material being covered in this chapter. This chapter is very intense and full of information, but in spite of this continue your reading. You can always return to it for detailed study after completing this entire book. In the meantime, let’s briefly get acquainted with the seven angels and their seven trumpets in Revelation 8–11. I came across this information on YouTube, verified it, and think it’s an excellent analysis of the seven trumpets. Please refer to the biblical text that accompanies these passages.

Revelation 8:7: World War I. Russia and Germany adopted a “scorched earth” policy, which manifested in the burning of trees and grass.

Revelation 8:8–9: World War II. “Burning Mountain” is the first atomic bomb used on Japan in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Both cities are near the sea. According to theologian Irvin Baxter, a third of the ships were destroyed, and most of the people on the ships died.

Revelation 8:10–11: The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant explosion in 1986. “Chernobyl” is a combination of two words from the old Slavic dialect, which mean “bitter plant or wormwood.” Many people, especially children, have been affected by it. Nearby rivers and lakes are still radioactive. Nevertheless, people have been using the contaminated water for watering crops, drinking, and raising livestock. The devastation of the explosion is not obvious to the naked eye, for the poison is hidden in contaminated water and air pollution, from which people have developed sicknesses, which result eventually in death. The effect of this accident continues to bear its deadly fruit today. I know a woman who is battling thyroid cancer. Her husband lost his life to the same cancer. They both were children at the time of the accident and lived about one hundred miles from the station.

Revelation 8:12: Eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991. During its eruption, a third of the moon and sun were covered due to the ash cloud. It also changed the weather around the globe.

Revelation 9:1–12: Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Italy called this operation “an operation of locusts.” American helicopters resemble the locusts and their ability to shoot and use precision weapons; therefore, no damage was done to the earth. Tons of smoke came from about six hundred oil wells, which Saddam Hussein’s retreating army set on fire. Saddam’s name means “destroyer.”

Revelation 9:13–21: Middle East crisis. It began approximately in the beginning of 2014 or even earlier, perhaps from the time US went to war with Afghanistan (after 2001) and, later, Iraq. It involved the region around the Euphrates River and included mostly Iraq, Syria, and Iran. It even effected other countries that practice Islam, like Egypt. ISIS played the biggest role. “Hour, day, month, and year” means that four significant things are to happen in that region. The predetermined events are already completed. Besides the Middle East, the world, especially Europe, is now witnessing its aftermath. Only time will reveal the aftershocks of this trumpet. Verses 17 and 19 give us an exact description of the machinery and equipment used by ISIS. About a third of the people involved died. Two hundred million is the estimated population of that region, who practice Islam. Thus, the source of the troops is Islamic in nature, just as we witnessed through ISIS.

Revelation 11:15–19: Kingdom of the Messiah. This is the final trumpet that is going to seal the end of humankind’s rule and start the Lord’s Millennial rule or the Day of the Lord.

When I studied Revelation, I noticed that the events are ordered relatively chronologically, though the narrative stops periodically to clarify certain events. If the seventh angel with the seventh trumpet in chapter 11 is the last trumpet, which ends humankind’s rule on Earth and starts the Lord’s millennial rule, we are living in the time before the seventh trumpet. It means that the following events will be coming next: the mighty angel with the small scroll (Rev. 10), the two witnesses (Rev. 11:1–14), the woman with the child and the dragon (Rev. 12), the beast and his mark (Rev. 13), bowls of judgment and the battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16), the judgment of Babylon, the prostitute on the scarlet beast (Rev. 17—18), and the Rapture or the wedding of the Lord and His Church. The events may not be in the order I listed. Some scholars believe all this will be accomplished in a maximum of seven years! Upon further study of the Scriptures, I realized that we are approaching this seven-year period and have little time left before the Rapture and the return of Christ. This is exciting news, because we will witness Revelation prophecies come true! The sad news, however, is that most of us are not ready and are in a deep spiritual slumber. I hope that, through this book, I can make people aware of our last days before the Lord’s return and give some directions as of what to do next.As we read, “There will no longer be an interval of time [sometime after the sixth trumpet in Rev. 9:13–21], but in the days of the sound of the seventh angel, when he will blow his trumpet, then God’s hidden plan [kingdom of the Lord and the Messiah Rev. 11:15–19] will be completed, as He announced to His servants the prophets” (Rev. 10:6c–7, HCSB). In other words, sometime after the sixth trumpet is blown, a secret event will take place. After this event there will no longer be periods of rest between the events, which are scheduled to happen and recorded in the rest of Revelation, until the day of the last trumpet of the seventh angel. This secret event, I believe, can be the Rapture. Although the birth contractions have been reasonably spaced out, we are no longer going to have a rest period between them after the event with the angel that is recorded in Revelation 10. All events will follow one after another, as planned by God. The sixth angel has already blown his trumpet. The seventh and final trumpet, which will signal the Day of the Lord, is coming soon!

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. . . the power of the holy people has been completely shattered . . . (Dan. 12:7)

We see another confirmation and a sure prophetic sign of our times, the poor quality of our spiritual condition and the devastating defect of God’s people, which is recorded in Daniel: “And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, ‘How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be? . . . that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished” (Dan. 12:6, 7c). The Apostle Paul describes this devastation in the following way:

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (2 Tim. 3:1–7) Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first . . . (2 Thess. 2:3a)

Thus, we see through several Scripture passages that people who are considered to be God’s will be in a state of contradiction to God’s expected standards, prior to the second coming of Christ. Jesus’ words reinforce this point: “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Lk. 18:8b) Demonstration of faith is determined by a change of heart and observation of His commandments. Transformational faith must be practiced. For example, I am a strong believer in the benefits of regular exercise. I can even tell others all about those benefits. This belief does me no good, because I don’t practice my belief; I don’t exercise. So, if our faith in Christ fails to transform, our faith is in vain. Upon His return, the Lord will be looking for faith demonstrated by works, not mere words: “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?” (Jas. 2:26, 14). Jesus gives us even more details in Matthew 24:4b–14.

The power of the holy people is their faith, which transforms them and makes them holy, righteous, faithful to Christ, obedient to His Word, and separate from the works of this world. Although Scripture tells us about the falling away or a change in the quality of His people and the presence of deception, His Bride must be different. If the Rapture happened at this moment, a staggering number of Christians would be left behind. It saddens me to see and know, that most believers think they are ready for the Rapture. Unfortunately, their belief is not grounded in Scripture but in puffed-up promises based on lies and a twisting of God’s Word. The Bible warns us about deception, false teachers, and prophets, a great falling away, and being left behind. Are we traveling on the safe boat and in the right direction? One degree to the right or left, and we can miss our desired destination. There is no room for mistakes, because the cost is eternal.

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Today whole world celebrating international Women’s Day. I hope this day will remind you once more the importance of a woman’s influence around us. If we walk with the Lord in His obedience, we are world changers. If we walk in the flesh we influence as well. May we never be ashamed of our conduct and choices. Here is a wonderful link of information about several strong Christian women who are not ashamed of their walk before Christ: http://womenmissionaries.blogspot.com/. You do not need to leave your home and your country to make great contribution to the world. Every woman is powerful in her own house, church, city and country. We will be surprised in heaven how much our obedience brought fruit to the Lord. No wonder David speaks of women as such: “The Lord gave the command: a great company of women brought the good news: “The kings of the armies flee – they flee!” She who stays at home divides the spoil.” (Psalm 68:11–12. HCSB)